[ChromaKelly]

So, I am getting a bit frustrated with this homestudy. I was told the other day, now that I thought we were almost done, that I need a letter from the therapist I had 5-6 years ago, when I was in therapy for depression. I could barely remember her name, and had to do some Googling to come up with the name of where she worked, this was in another state. Fortunately, she still works there, and I spoke to her today, and of course she doesn't remember me. She didn't feel comfortable writing any kind of letter until she reviewed my records. And of course, my records are in archive and she's not sure if she can get them.

Is it normal to need a letter from that long ago? What if I hadn't been able to find her? I really don't need this hanging up our HS.

[mommamarci]

That seems crazy to me. I was in therapy when I started college. It was about 5 years before our first home study and 7 before the second. Niether time was I required to provide any kind of documentation. (We used 2 completely different agencies for home studies.) Good thing because I have no clue what the therapist's name was!

Good luck...

[ProspectiveSingleMom]

Geez, I hope I don't have any issues like that. I recently moved, so the psychiatrist I'm seeing now has only known me for a few months, and the last psychiatrist only treated me for about a year (I have bipolar disorder). Before that, I went 7 years with no treatment due to not having health insurance. I really hope they don't make me try to find my old therapist from high school! It seems to me like a current mental health assessment would be more useful than old records from years ago.

[ChromaKelly]

I emailed him explaining the issues (therapist doesn't remember me, records archived) and he said he would look into the requirements in our state and see if I really need to have this. I looked at some info from another agency I was considering at it said "current or recent", so my thinking is it's at the SW's discretion.

[Gwen72]

I had a similar situation while trying to get our homestudy done. We told the SW at our office interview about my childhood (both parents & three grandparents alcoholics and drug addicts, beaten with a dog leash from age 8 months to age 15)and explained that I placed my baby for adoption when I was a teen in high school. She literally cried. Since then , I have lived a good, productive life. I am close to earning my second degree in the medical field. I have worked eight years with the largest, busiest 911 ambulance service in my state. I have been in a long, loving relationship with DH. I am a beloved wife and favorite aunt. Still, she made me go to counseling to prove I was "stable and ready to parent" before she would approve our homestudy. The therapist talked to me for 2 hours and decided that I was the most stable person he had talked to in a while. It doesn't matter what happened in your past. What matters is how you handled it and how you are doing today (which is well, I hope).

[inhiswill]

I tell you what Chroma...does your SW have it out for you? My goodness, it is just one thing after another for you to get this HS in the bag. Good Luck!!

[ProspectiveSingleMom]

Originally Posted by Gwen72

The therapist talked to me for 2 hours and decided that I was the most stable person he had talked to in a while.

That sounds like my recent experience with a therapist. I haven't even started the application process for adopting yet, but I thought it would look good if I was in counseling since I have bipolar disorder. When I went to meet the counselor, though, she said I didn't need therapy at this time.

[ChromaKelly]

Originally Posted by inhiswill

I tell you what Chroma...does your SW have it out for you? My goodness, it is just one thing after another for you to get this HS in the bag. Good Luck!!

I really can't wait to get this over with!!

[mondk]

Why couldn't you find a therapist now and have him/her do a complete evaluation on you and then submit that as part of your homestudy. After all, it is in the "now" that you want to adopt.

I'm bipolar also if whoever up there that disclosed that they are too would ever like to talk to me just PM me.

All I had to have was a letter from my psychiatrist stating I'm stable on my meds and stable to adopt. That was all that was required of me.

Blessings, Michelle

[ChromaKelly]

Originally Posted by mondk

Why couldn't you find a therapist now and have him/her do a complete evaluation on you and then submit that as part of your homestudy. After all, it is in the "now" that you want to adopt.


Blessings, Michelle

I'm willing to do that if that's what the HS agency wants. I don't even mind getting a letter from my old therapist, it's just that she doesn't remember me and can't speak to how I am right now.

Our HS is now being written. As you can see from my timeline, it's been in process since early April. It would have been nice to have known I needed this at the beginning. Now it's thisclose to be done, and here's one more thing to hold it up.